Top tree and shrub species in the UK to use for greenwood carving
Greenwood carving, especially for kitchen or food utensils (known as treen), tends to use hardwood rather than softwoods. With their high resin content softwoods may taint food. For similar reasons oak is not used for treen, because of the high tannic acid content. This high acid content is the reason why metal in contact with oak tends to rust quickly. The species below are ones I’ve worked with, rather than a comprehensive review of wood types.
Birch
The species of choice of Scandinavian wood carvers, birch has an attractive figure, is easily obtainable and carves well. As a pioneer tree species with light wind blown seed birch trees will be one of the first species to grow as an area of land converts to woodland. The bark has a myriad of uses as well as the wood. Slow growing birch trees in the cold harsh windy climate of the Scandinavian north have very twisty growth ring patterns and is known as curly birch. It is used for making knife handles. In a woodland setting fallen birch wood will rot quickly (sometimes all that is left is a tube of bark) and so it is unsurprising that it spalts easily to produce interesting patterns. However it is a not a strong wood and spalting can easily rob it of its physical integrity. Birch greenwood may typically have a moisture content of 75%
Cherry
As a species that suckers from its roots cherry can be quite a common tree and its wood easily accessible. Cherry is easily worked in the green and releases a beautiful smell as it is cut. The wood surface rapidly oxidises in contact with the air to a pleasant light orange colour. It is a clean wood with a pleasant figure. It takes surface decoration well.
Hawthorn
Birch
The species of choice of Scandinavian wood carvers, birch has an attractive figure, is easily obtainable and carves well. As a pioneer tree species with light wind blown seed birch trees will be one of the first species to grow as an area of land converts to woodland. The bark has a myriad of uses as well as the wood. Slow growing birch trees in the cold harsh windy climate of the Scandinavian north have very twisty growth ring patterns and is known as curly birch. It is used for making knife handles. In a woodland setting fallen birch wood will rot quickly (sometimes all that is left is a tube of bark) and so it is unsurprising that it spalts easily to produce interesting patterns. However it is a not a strong wood and spalting can easily rob it of its physical integrity. Birch greenwood may typically have a moisture content of 75%
Cherry
As a species that suckers from its roots cherry can be quite a common tree and its wood easily accessible. Cherry is easily worked in the green and releases a beautiful smell as it is cut. The wood surface rapidly oxidises in contact with the air to a pleasant light orange colour. It is a clean wood with a pleasant figure. It takes surface decoration well.
Hawthorn
More a shrub than a tree, hawthorn is the quintessential hedgerow inhabitant and if it has ever been layered in traditional hedgerow management may have the most amazingly twisted branches and stem. Because of its growth patterns hawthorn does not have many commercial uses as a hardwood and so can be interesting to carve with. It has a medium brown colour with flecks of lighter colour and clear growth ring patterning. Knots and dead wood can be a problem with a shrubby growth form, as can embedded dead wood through past hedge trimming but the rewards in terms of creating a highly individual piece can be great. The image shows a hawthorn ladle blank being shaped with a Hans Karlson adze
Sycamore
The wood of choice of Welsh lovespoon carvers, sycamore is a blond wood without much figure, but which can produce clean, well defined articles and is well suited to decoration. It is a good starter species for greenwood carving, partly because of its high moisture content, perhaps greater than 100%. Sycamore wood is easy to carve in the green and as a non-native species in the UK is considered a ‘weed’ tree by nature conservationists. It is fast growing and fairly easy to get hold of. Sycamore spalts easily to provide more interesting figure
Ash
Even as a green wood ash is quite dry typically having a moisture content of less than 50%, which makes it good firewood. It is also robust which makes it a good choice for tool handles. However these characteristics also work against it as a green whittling wood. It is not a forgiving wood and would not be a good choice to begin with for novice green wood carvers. It is a blond wood but with clearly identifiable growth rings. Indeed it is possible to see the open ends of larger xylem vessels in some cut surfaces. Ash can be sanded to a high quality durable surface. It would be a good choice for a wooden implement destined for a hard life such as a spatula.
Ash doesn’t respond too well to storage under water, with the surface undergoing a rather unattractive greying which penetrates the surface. This is problematic because ash wood which has been allowed to dry is difficult to carve with hand-held whittling techniques because of its toughness.
Elm
With the curse of dutch elm disease it is very difficult to obtain elm wood these days, but if you do find some it is well worthwhile working with. It is quite hard wood to carve but has a beautiful, even figure. Traditionally elm wood has been used in wet environments such as waterwheels or village water pumps, because of its ability to resist rot. Elm trees sucker from the roots and so can still be found in hedgerows as small trees. However, when the bole becomes big enough to allow bark beetles to burrow into the wood, dutch elm disease can return and kill the sapling.
Elm wood dries to a very hard material and it is very challenging to sand out imperfections of carving in the final material.
Apple
This is one of my favourite woods to carve in the green. It has an almost soapy carving characteristic. It is also possible to get interesting colour differences between the darker heart wood and lighter sapwood. In the lighter wood there is still an attractive figure which shows through. Apple wood can be stored for many months under water and although there is some surface discolouring this does not seem to penetrate into the wood.
Garden apple tree prunings can provide fascinating shaped branch wood to carve. Side branch knots can be a problem, particularly early side branches that have died back or have been pruned many years earlier and have been grown over. There can also be small shakes in the wood which appear for no apparent reason. Carving into apple wood is always an adventure!
Plum
Plum is another very good fruit wood for carving. It has all the carving qualities of apple wood but is a much darker, mahogany-like colour, which can be shined up to a wonderful lustre. Keep an eye out for prunings in orchards or gardens.
Alder
A nitrogen-fixing tree commonly found alongside rivers and streams alder is a common tree species. Living in such a damp environment it is little wonder that alder wood has a very high moisture content. Carving it in the green is therefore a very pleasurable affair as the soft creamy coloured wood is very yielding and forgiving. The cut surface of alder wood oxidises very rapidly on contact with the air, turning a rich orange colour. This characteristic process continues during the carving process, producing a cream coloured wood with attractive orange lines and streaks through the wood.
Its very softness means that alder does not easily allow for crisp detail in the carving, but is an excellent wood to start with and has the potential to produce artefacts of grace and beauty.
Holly
Holly wood is a very blond wood with indistinct figure, but is striking non-the-less and is dense grained and hard wearing. Freshly cut holly hasn’t the most pleasant smell and wood which has been stored in water for some time has the aroma of stale cigarette smoke! This does fade as the wood dries. Given its growth pattern hidden knots are a risk with holly, especially leaving dead wood where a side branch has died after heavy shading from the canopy of the growing tree.
Holly wood can be successfully stored under water for many months if the bark has been removed. Wet wood exposed to the air oxidises to a very dark colour, but if not left too long this is only a millimetre or so thick and can be easily carved away. In fact, this process could be used to creative design effect!
The wood of choice of Welsh lovespoon carvers, sycamore is a blond wood without much figure, but which can produce clean, well defined articles and is well suited to decoration. It is a good starter species for greenwood carving, partly because of its high moisture content, perhaps greater than 100%. Sycamore wood is easy to carve in the green and as a non-native species in the UK is considered a ‘weed’ tree by nature conservationists. It is fast growing and fairly easy to get hold of. Sycamore spalts easily to provide more interesting figure
Ash
Even as a green wood ash is quite dry typically having a moisture content of less than 50%, which makes it good firewood. It is also robust which makes it a good choice for tool handles. However these characteristics also work against it as a green whittling wood. It is not a forgiving wood and would not be a good choice to begin with for novice green wood carvers. It is a blond wood but with clearly identifiable growth rings. Indeed it is possible to see the open ends of larger xylem vessels in some cut surfaces. Ash can be sanded to a high quality durable surface. It would be a good choice for a wooden implement destined for a hard life such as a spatula.
Ash doesn’t respond too well to storage under water, with the surface undergoing a rather unattractive greying which penetrates the surface. This is problematic because ash wood which has been allowed to dry is difficult to carve with hand-held whittling techniques because of its toughness.
Elm
With the curse of dutch elm disease it is very difficult to obtain elm wood these days, but if you do find some it is well worthwhile working with. It is quite hard wood to carve but has a beautiful, even figure. Traditionally elm wood has been used in wet environments such as waterwheels or village water pumps, because of its ability to resist rot. Elm trees sucker from the roots and so can still be found in hedgerows as small trees. However, when the bole becomes big enough to allow bark beetles to burrow into the wood, dutch elm disease can return and kill the sapling.
Elm wood dries to a very hard material and it is very challenging to sand out imperfections of carving in the final material.
Apple
This is one of my favourite woods to carve in the green. It has an almost soapy carving characteristic. It is also possible to get interesting colour differences between the darker heart wood and lighter sapwood. In the lighter wood there is still an attractive figure which shows through. Apple wood can be stored for many months under water and although there is some surface discolouring this does not seem to penetrate into the wood.
Garden apple tree prunings can provide fascinating shaped branch wood to carve. Side branch knots can be a problem, particularly early side branches that have died back or have been pruned many years earlier and have been grown over. There can also be small shakes in the wood which appear for no apparent reason. Carving into apple wood is always an adventure!
Plum
Plum is another very good fruit wood for carving. It has all the carving qualities of apple wood but is a much darker, mahogany-like colour, which can be shined up to a wonderful lustre. Keep an eye out for prunings in orchards or gardens.
Alder
A nitrogen-fixing tree commonly found alongside rivers and streams alder is a common tree species. Living in such a damp environment it is little wonder that alder wood has a very high moisture content. Carving it in the green is therefore a very pleasurable affair as the soft creamy coloured wood is very yielding and forgiving. The cut surface of alder wood oxidises very rapidly on contact with the air, turning a rich orange colour. This characteristic process continues during the carving process, producing a cream coloured wood with attractive orange lines and streaks through the wood.
Its very softness means that alder does not easily allow for crisp detail in the carving, but is an excellent wood to start with and has the potential to produce artefacts of grace and beauty.
Holly
Holly wood is a very blond wood with indistinct figure, but is striking non-the-less and is dense grained and hard wearing. Freshly cut holly hasn’t the most pleasant smell and wood which has been stored in water for some time has the aroma of stale cigarette smoke! This does fade as the wood dries. Given its growth pattern hidden knots are a risk with holly, especially leaving dead wood where a side branch has died after heavy shading from the canopy of the growing tree.
Holly wood can be successfully stored under water for many months if the bark has been removed. Wet wood exposed to the air oxidises to a very dark colour, but if not left too long this is only a millimetre or so thick and can be easily carved away. In fact, this process could be used to creative design effect!